Among the displays at the Gorge Heritage Museum in Bingen is this country store. The museum was seeking a three year lease extension at the city council meeting Nov. 18. Aziza Cooper-Hovland / file photo
BINGEN — The Bingen City Council opened its Nov. 18 regular meeting with police and fire updates.
October was a relatively quiet month for the community, seeing only six fire department calls within the city and 56 police activities, which includes 36 traffic stops. As is typical, the fire department saw many more calls for mutual aid to other municipalities.
Mayor Catherine Kiewit then opened a public hearing on a 1% property tax increase, the maximum allowed by Washington State law. With no public comments submitted or offered in person, the council unanimously approved the annual increase.
Michael Shannon appeared next with a bridge update. As a reminder, the Port of Hood River is not managing the building of the new bridge. That is handled by the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority, composed of members appointed by both Hood River and Klickitat counties.
Shannon’s report occurred just hours after the Bridge Authority had received its final signature on its Record of Decision, or ROD, which concludes the environmental review for the bridge plan (see related story on columbiagorgenews.com).
The council next considered a request from the Gorge Heritage Museum for a three-year extension of their lease. Janet Ward offered anecdotes about museum guests and its activities. The council was a bit hesitant about the length of the lease and expressed the hope for additional hours and activities from the museum in the future. Mayor Kiewit asked for specific details, such as the number of people being served and data to support the use of the city-owned building. The council will review the information and make a decision about the lease at a later date.
City Administrator Krista Loney then presented a project status update on Bingen’s in-progress infrastructure projects. One highlight is the East Steuben Waterline replacement, which is set to go to bid in January, with construction to start as weather allows. This project will be funded by a $1 million low-interest loan and a $187,000 grant.
Loney is also overseeing the city’s required Stormwater Plan, which is funded by a $59,000 grant and $10,000 from the city. The design phase for the Highway 14 Railroad Crossing is almost complete; this project will be paid for with a $216,00 grant paired with $11,000 from Bingen. Construction is slated to start in the spring of 2026.
The next Bingen City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. at city hall.
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